Arizona silver belt., 1887-06-25
YnE EVn NrluExcr or MEnrcIsE MEN

fnE kNtA hAkhhSNeE or MkHttAah tthN
Soothsayers or medicine men, who
claim the power tf prophetic vision,
are the disturbing element Of the Apa
chss, and Just now are ayailing them
sslyes OF tho opportunity Of blasting
the minds of the San Carlos agency
Indians, by interpreting the earth
quake Of May 81 as an omsn tending
to tbs destruction of the whites and
re.essabnshmont of the power Of the
Indians There are two--ono a Naqui,
the other a aoiavo--holdlng sway,
with tom.tomS rattles, singing aud
dancing at Coyote Spring, on The
western edge of the reservation. 4,hey
are taking advantage Of the super
stitious character Of their hearers
who believe in the infahbility Of their
reyelationS--to breed diseontentment,
A notable instance OF the syil teach.
3ugs of the medicine man is remem-
bered in the case of Nock-a-de-klcn-
ny. who, IN 1881, proposed for gifts OF
horses, blankets, &C., to bring to life
some chiefs who had died months pre-
yious, and after thus snriching him
self, and the tune fixed tor the resur.
rsction having passed, his victims de-
Snanded the restoration Of their gifts,
and IN order 10 retain the property, he
further duped them BY pretending
That the spirits Of the dsfunct war
riors could not DO restored 70 life mn
iii the whites had left the country, and
be fixed the date Of their leaving at
the time Of the corn harvest,
On our way f.om TueSon to Globe,
we stopped over night at the sub.
agency, AMI while there some Indian
runners, ySho had been sent from Clb-
5cu. where the miracle was to Be per-
formed, to notify the Indians what
was about to occur, arrived. Issue
Clerk, Hoag, informed us that trouble
was brewing, and that the wizard or
medicine man had advised the killing
oFtbe whites, in order that The per-
formance Of the miracle might prove
a success, but that the perfection Of
the charm required the preservation
of tie life Of Hoag, On coming to the
Agency the following morning, we re.
ported 10 Agent Tiffany what we had
hsSsrd, and be at once telegraphed to
Gen. NH;lcox at Prescott, that Nock,a-
ds-klsnny naust bo arrested. Gen,
Wilcox in tur.s ordered Col. Carr to
arrest TIE man. To carry ont the or
der Of arrest, it becams necessary 20
60 to the Indian encampment. Six
officers, sevsnty.nine soldiers and
twenty-tbrss iudisn scouts constituted
the command
Nook-a-de-kienny surrendered, pro-
Tossing no desire to escape, bat is the
troops were makihg mp for the
night, on their return TO the post, the
scouts and other Indians opened fire;
sharp fight snsEsd, the Indians were
rspuIsed, the medicine man wounded
and finally killed, among pile Of
pack-saddlss. whittier hs had crawlsd
for protsction. Twas there that Cap
tain Hsntig and eight Of his command
Bers killed. That would have ended
the Indian trouble, az least at that
time, had it not been for the impolitic
action Of Gen. Q. B. Wilcox in attempt
ing to arrest the Coyotere chiefs George
and Bonito, against the advice Of the
Agent, who feared that sending troops
to the sub-agency, where George, 30.
nito and ths CGiricahuas were, would
30 alarm the latter Gearing arrest for
offences committed in Mexico) that
they would leave thereseryation. The
result was as predicted and during the
night Of September 30th, seventy -four
Chiricabua5, including women and
children, fed.
We think it the part Of prudence
that these lnGantations Of medicine
men should be stopped if possible by
pacific measures, but If necessary, to
use force, and arrest and punish these
breeders Of discord, and the sooner the
; better it viii be for the peace b
Arizona.